I have pretty much everything for my shop now, Planer, Joiner, Table saw, drill press, scroll saw, miter saw and Dust Collection so all that I’m lacking now is a band Saw, being that my shop is quite small I was pondering a 9” so that leads me to this question, just how far will a 9” take me apposed to a 14”?

From an engineer’s point of view, the 10” band saw is a much better machine than the 9” ones I have seen. Things like metal wheels vs plastic, bigger motor, better guides, cast iron table with fence. I have an older Delta 10” three wheel machine and I would rather have any 9” than it, but I got a Rikon 10” last year and it’s a great little machine. Footprint wise, the difference between 9”, 10” and 14” is insignificant. If I was not planning to build a 16” saw from plans I have already purchased, I would have gone with the HF 14” bandsaw and upgraded it.

Yes, re-saw is splitting a board in thickness. Also used to make veneer.

The little plastic 9 inchers can cut wood but are very light, have limited capacity, and vibrate more. 14” is certainly a more capable choice, but you might also look into something like the Rikon clone Craftsman 10” that at least has a cast iron table and heavier frame. I went from a Ryobi 9” to the Cman 12” and it was a night and day improvement.

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You’ll certainly be able to do more and varied woodworking projects on the 14”, compared to a 9” or 10”. You can get very skinny blades for the 14” as well that will help you to cut very tight curves. Certainly look into at least upgrading the guide blocks to cool blocks (the more economical route), or the Carter bearing guides. The Carter Stabilizer is also a very nice addition for skinny blades and tight curves. However, the Carter products all add up in a hurry!

I never looked at or considered anything smaller than a 14” bandsaw, for what it’s worth. It depends on what you’re primarily going to use it for though. If you’re going to be doing a lot of small or intricate work on thinner stock, you may want to consider a scroll saw, which will allow you to make cuts inside the outer edges of the wood without having to create a kerf line like you have to with a bandsaw.

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."